Turning trash into runway treasures

For the next generation of designers waste is not wasted

With another successful fashion month coming to a close, buyers and editorsalike are once again piecing together the trends and themes for the season. But,for a wave of young designers creating clothes simply for Instagram likes is nolonger enough. There has to be a deeper message behind their creations. Theincreasing awareness of environmental issues has meant that the concern for manyis sustainability, with young designers experimenting with the concept ofupcycling this season.

Upcycling, the act of recycling something to an outcome of high quality, iswidely used in interior design, but is a lesser-known practice in fashiondesign. Until now. French design prodigy, Marine Serre is at the forefront ofthe move. Upcycling is set to become the new vintage. Serre, who staged herFormula 1-inspired spring/summer 2019 collection during Paris fashion week,started working with the concept of upcycling last season, redesigning oldwetsuits or vintage scarves into couture-like dresses. Serre joins designerssuch as Jiri Kalfar, Nathalie Ballout and Christine Hyun Mi Nielsen – all ofwhom are retelling the story of couture as a feeling, rather than somethingprice determined.

Upcycling importantly deals directly with some of the waste that is beingdiscarded by the broader fashion industry. “Upcycling is one way of combattingthe problem of excess fashion produce, which is an issue as a result of theevolution of fast fashion and ever-changing trends,” argues Akanksha Kaila,founder of Refash an online platform featuring designers working with upcycling.The reality of fashion’s wasteful practice was brought to the surface thissummer when luxury-giant Burberry admitted to burning stock worth £28.6 millionto avoid its sought-after goods falling into the hands of imitators. While theworld was shocked to discover that burning stock is common practice at manybrands, for fashion insiders the extent of waste in the industry is a well-knownsecret.

“We see how much waste has been generated by generations before us and know thatdesign needs to be sustainable to be functional in its true sense. We have beena consumption driven global economy, which is only now taking notice of thecollateral damage that has been done,” Kaila says.

A 2017 report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation revealed that only 1% ofmaterials used in fashion production is recycled into new clothes, with mostrecycled fabric being down-cycled to wiping cloths or mattress stuffing wherethey are likely to end their circulation before going to landfills.

Luckily, the growing number of upcycling designers are taking fashion’s wasteproblem as a challenge. One of them is Berlin-based designer Melisa Minca, whostarted the upcycling label in her own name in 2018. “I started teaching myselfto sew about three years ago. Upcycling, repurposing and reworking allowed me tolearn while experimenting, but also keep waste at a minimum,” she says.

And given fashion’s excessive waste problem in a time where sustainableawareness is a must-have it is perhaps not surprising more and more designersare turning to the practice of upcycling. “It’s a necessity,” Minca says. “Itshould be integral to how we operate in this society, because of the limitationsand scarcity of natural resources.”

Agreeing that there is a need for more circular practice, Ariel Ting, a designstudent of Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design in New Zealand who works withupcycled materials, says: “We as designers should be leading examples to othersand educating the people who are unaware of the linear economy they arecontributing to.”

“Most people have no idea regarding the issues of fast fashion and how harmfulthe industry is on a global scale. Designers who are passionate, not only aboutfashion but the message behind their work will feel the need to spread that,”she argues.

However, while upcycling might put your old clothes into good use its unlikelyto solve fashion’s waste problem on its own. “What’s necessary is a concertedeffort on all sides, including fast fashion companies,” Minca explains. “I thinkthe future of the fashion industry is very dependent on new technologies,whereas the future of upcycling comes down to people’s own creativity andwillingness to spread awareness of the issues the fashion industry is causing.”

“Upcycling as we know it today therefore serves more as a tool for raisingawareness for the bigger issue we face as a society and the unprecedented levelsof consumption,” she concludes.